With the outbreak of World War II in 1939, the Mennonites of Western Canada began the organization of provincial relief committees. In January 1940 meetings were held in Altona, Manitoba, Coaldale, Alberta, and Yarrow, British Columbia. These meetings appointed provincial committees, each of which delegated two representatives to a meeting on 15 March 1940 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, which in turn formed a central executive committee known as the Mennonite Central Relief Committee. Officers from the beginning to 1957 were B. B. Janz, chairman, J. J. Thiessen vice-chairman, C. A. DeFehr treasurer. Up to about 1954 all the committee funds were sent to the Mennonite Central Committee. After that most of the contributions were sent directly to committee-supported projects in Paraguay. The committee appointed a regular member to the MCC.